'I left Wales for England to access free childcare'

From her Monmouthshire home, Robin Lloyd was able to see houses over the border in England knowing the families who lived there could access free childcare for their babies.

Robin and her husband decided to leave Chepstow and Wales and moved a 30-minute drive away to Gloucestershire so they would be eligible for support for children from nine months old.

In Wales, free childcare for two-year-olds is being expanded, prioritising disadvantaged areas but there is no support for younger children.

The Welsh government said its childcare programmes were "sustainable" and prioritising "more disadvantaged communities".

Robin, a 35-year-old nurse, started thinking about childcare during her pregnancy.

"I realised that I would be paying almost double my mortgage each month in childcare in Wales but I could see England out of my window and the people in the houses over there would be having financial support.

"I knew I wanted more than one child but the cost of childcare was going to mean that it wasn't going to be possible until my son was pretty much four years old.

"We were very cautious about the whole process but eventually decided that the way to afford a family of two children was to move to England."

The move to the Forest of Dean cost £15,000 in solicitors' fees and stamp duty "but overall was going to be a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to pay childcare in Wales".

Since 1 September, working parents in England have been offered 30 hours of childcare a week during term time for children aged nine months to four years old.

There have been concerns about the availability of places and the cost of extra, unfunded hours.

But Robin said she had been able to get two days of funded childcare a week for her one-year-old, while she and her husband work part-time.

"That makes it far more affordable for somebody like me who's just a nurse," she said. "I don't have megabucks to be able to afford a home for my family and to have childcare.

"I'm really sad about it. I've left my home. But ultimately, if it means I can have the family, it's worth it."

In Wales, there is currently no childcare funding for children under two.

However the Welsh government is rolling out 12.5 hours of free care a week for all two to three-year-olds under the Flying Start scheme.

It said it had reached 15,901children through the scheme by by the end of 2024-25 - roughly 52% of two-year-olds in Wales.

The next phase of expansion in 2025-26, funded by an extra £25m, is expected to "reach more than 4,000 additional children", it said.

The Flying Start scheme is being extended by postcode, focusing on the most deprived areas first.

Merthyr Tydfil has become the first county in Wales to offer a place to all two-year-olds under the programme.

It covered a place every afternoon at Little Rascals nursery in Merthyr for Grace's daughter, which she describes as "invaluable".

She thinks it is important that all parents of young children, not just those who are working, are eligible for the support, meaning there is a "level playing field".

"It's so beneficial to have this programme for Merthyr, for everyone living here to have the opportunity for their children to go into childcare at such a young age without any stress about fees," she said.

On the same site, Ana's son goes to the forest school, where the children spend most of the day learning outside.

Their postcode was the last in Merthyr to become eligible for Flying Start childcare support in April.

"It's such a shame that there are swathes of our country that don't benefit from that," she said.

"You just have to set foot inside one of these nurseries to find out how children love being around each other and learning from each other."

In Merthyr, council bosses said "100% of early years providers" were able to offer Flying Start places, with capacity for all two-year-olds in county.

"This has been achieved over a considerable period of time, ensuring that we've got enough childcare places and that's really important in all of this - making sure that whatever we commit to we've got enough childcare places," said Sarah Ostler, the early years and Flying Start manager for Merthyr Tydfil council.

She said they had used Welsh government funding to extend the provision and had made sure there was "a suitably-qualified and experienced workforce".

But in Monmouthshire, a councillor said parents were acutely aware of the different offer over the border in England.

Conservative county councillor Lisa Dymock said a number of people had moved to the area from Bristol with many under the impression they would be offered the same childcare offer as in England.

"Whilst they may have settled and live in a lovely location like south-east Monmouthshire, they've now realised [they're] not entitled to this free childcare and they're having to re-examine their budgets and their outgoings, which is hard for a young family," she said.

Ms Dymock said that while Flying Start was "a very good scheme" it did not help women who needed to return to work and she wanted the English offer matched in Wales.

"I think that will help the household income, residents' careers but also children's development," she said.

"I just think it's a huge benefit and it's what my residents are asking for - it's what people want."

The Welsh government said its childcare programmes were "making a real difference for families across Wales".

It said the flying Start programme was now being extended two all two-year-olds.

"We've prioritised our more disadvantaged communities and made sure provision is sustainable", a spokesperson said.

They said the Childcare Offer for Wales, providing up to 30 hours per week of care for three and four-year-olds, was more generous than England's scheme.

"Unlike in England, it is available to parents in training and education as well as those in work and is available 48 weeks per year, compared to England's 38 weeks."

In its autumn conference, Plaid Cymru announced it would offer at least 20 hours' free childcare for 48 weeks a year to all children nine months to four years old by 2031.

The current offer of 30 hours for some three and four-year-olds would continue.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats said it would introduce 30 hours per week of childcare for children from nine months to school age and invest in school holiday provision.

The Welsh Conservatives said it would replicate the childcare offer in England of 30 hours a week for working parents of nine month to four-years-olds during term time.

It said there would be more details in its manifesto for the Senedd election.

Welsh Labour said it was "proud" to roll out free childcare for two-year-olds, providing a tax break for nurseries and expanding subsidised childcare for three and four-year-olds.

It is still discussing the offer for 2026 and beyond, the party said.

Reform UK said it was putting together a manifesto to "deliver the real change Wales needs".